coastal bluff erosion
Coastal Bluff Erosion Threatens Puerto Rico’s Communities and Infrastructure
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Chunks of cement, boulders, construction waste, and some debris separate the coastal bluff in the Barrio Obrero community of Arecibo from the ocean-view car wash where Christian works. The man, who has lived in this community all his life, said how the neighbors have tried to find options to tackle the accelerated coastal erosion rate in recent years. The result has been a makeshift landfill made with discarded construction materials, as if to reclaim land from the sea. With seeming resignation, he says that municipal politicians rarely stop by the area, and that these sporadic visits almost always happen during electoral campaigns. “Because this is a small neighborhood, almost no one cares,” he tells the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI, in Spanish), while looking for the liquid to shine car tires.
